A Matter of Family
by Black Rook
Summary: There are some things in Ezra's past that Nathan could understand better than anyone... ATF Universe. Completed.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N An answer to jane_elliot challenge of sorts – a story where Nathan doesn't jump to conclusions about Ezra._

_Special thanks to __Tiffany Pena__ for the beta-reading!_

**A Matter of Family**

**1. **

"Okay, guys, I know how you all love stakeouts, but we need more information before the next stage," Chris tossed a pile of printouts on the table with a smirk.

Five members of Team 7 were seated in a conference room, discussing the current case; Ezra was out on the street establishing, with Josiah's help, a background for his future undercover persona. Vin took one of the printouts and looked through the schedule of upcoming stakeouts – JD would be staying in the office, checking the phone bugs, Chris was paired with Buck, Vin himself with Josiah, and Nathan with Ezra.

"You okay with this schedule, Nate?" Chris asked, after everyone had acquainted themselves with it.

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"Well, maybe because your partner there is one racist son of a bitch?" Buck mumbled just loud enough for all of them to hear. Vin opened his mouth to retort, but, surprisingly, Nathan beat him to it:

"Well, that ain't true, so it's not a problem."

"I wouldn't be so sure after last week," Buck continued, and Vin sighed inwardly. Last week, one stuck-up popinjay from Atlanta's FBI had been visiting; and he'd started a whole new roll of rumors concerning Standish. This time they had nothing to do with him being dirty, but with his views on racial matters. Worst of all, Ezra's behavior during the visit had all but confirmed those rumors. Vin hadn't yet had a chance to confront him about what the hell that had been about, but it seemed that half of the team had already made up their own negative opinions on the matter.

What surprised Vin the most was that Nathan, it seems, wasn't in that half, despite the fact that he'd had some verbal battles with Ezra over the past week. Vin threw a glance to Chris, not wanting their leader to stop the discussion yet, but Chris must have been curious too, because he kept silent.

"Buck," Nathan said patiently, "I've met a few real racists, and believe me, Ezra isn't one of them. He might be a cocky, arrogant and selfish SOB, but he is not racially biased."

"How do you know?" JD asked, confusion and uncertainty evident in his voice.

Nathan shrugged. "Plenty of things, JD. Say, do you remember that charity event in the Children's Center, held by 'The Clarion'?"

JD nodded.

"Remember all those kids who were clinging to Ezra? There were at least three races and a dozen nationalities in that crowd, and all, including Standish, were completely happy. You can't fool a kid, JD, they won't come to a man who has something against them, and they feel such things very keenly."

"Especially kids from the system," Vin added quietly.

"But… why say those things, if he didn't mean them?"

Nathan shrugged. "It's Ezra, son, so I have no idea. He might have had serious reasons or just have fallen back into bad habits, who knows."

"You weren't so understanding last Wednesday," Buck mumbled, this time quieter, but still distinguishable.

"I'll be the first to admit that Ezra and I have our issues, but we are absolutely capable of sorting them out on our own!" Nathan glared at Buck and then at Chris. "And that won't interfere with work."

Chris nodded, and Nathan turned back to Wilmington: "And we have enough problems without feeding the office gossip."

Buck held his hands up in an 'as-you-wish' gesture, and Chris finally cut in:

"Well, girls, if you are through with said gossip, we have work to discuss."

**2. **

That evening Nathan and Ezra began their stakeout shift. They were occupying a room in an abandoned building with a perfect view of the entrance of one very elite club. Their main task was to photograph everyone who attended the club and make sure there weren't any 'old acquaintances' among them.

The first hour of the shift they barely had time to breathe for operating cameras, but then the flood of visitors slowed, and, after another hour, ceased completely. Nathan went to the far end of the room, to stretch his legs, and back; Ezra was shifting his gaze between him and the street, and, all in all, seemed rather nervous.

"Mr. Jackson," Ezra called when Nathan had finished his exercise. "Can I have a minute of your attention?"

"Yeah?"

"There were certain words said over the last week, and I…"

Oh no, Ezra was going to apologize. And knowing him, he would take an hour, by the end of which Nathan would have a splitting headache and not a clue about what Ezra had actually said. So he raised his hand:

"Relax, Ezra. I know you didn't mean it."

"You know?"

"We have been working for more than a year together, and yes, I know for a fact you aren't a bigot."

"Mr. Jackson, I…"

"But you know what, Standish? I'd sure like an explanation for why the hell you sometimes behave like one. Since I don't think you do it only to irritate me…"

Ezra sighed and averted his gaze back to the street. He knew he owed Jackson the truth, or at least part of it. He owed him an answer. Mainly because Nathan had bothered to ask, instead of automatically assuming the worst. Very few people in Ezra's life had ever bothered to ask first. And he did feel ashamed over his behavior last week, not that he had had any choice in the matter. Ezra took a deep breath, turned to Nathan and began talking.

"The Standishes came from old southern aristocracy, Mr. Jackson. Old money, old land… and old traditions. My father was a younger son, and when he died, he didn't leave Mother much more than a name; so she had found it prudent to stay in the family's good graces. As a boy, I had to spend a lot of summers in the house of my Uncle Jeremy Standish, the current head of the family. He has very specific views on life in general, but, fortunately, is not very sharp, so maintaining a suitable image for him wasn't difficult, though far from enjoyable. I'd hoped that once I was standing on my own two feet, I could forget about him, but I didn't take into account two things. First, Mr. Jeremy Standish, above all, has certain opinions about family honor and the ways that honor should be maintained and guarded. Second, he and the Assistant Director of Atlanta's FBI have the questionable fortune of being old school friends."

"Oh."

"Yes. The funniest thing of it all, though," Ezra smiled ironically, "is that in the end I managed to ruin my career in the FBI completely by myself, without any help from that respectable gentleman. On the other hand, that mess had tarnished my reputation just enough for Uncle Jeremy to finally leave me alone – every cloud has its silver lining, I guess."

As far as Nathan knew, 'completely by myself' was an exaggeration, to say the least, but it was irrelevant now. So Ezra had his reasons for having a 'good-old-southern-boy' mask; they might be somewhat selfish, since he mostly protected himself and his career, but they were real and Nathan wasn't going to be the one to judge him for them. Ezra hadn't chosen his Uncle or the means his Mother used to provide for him; and the fact that the mask hadn't turned into a true personality surely spoke a lot about Ezra's integrity. And Nathan knew, from experience, how hard it was to get rid of the demons of your youth and childhood, and who knows what things Ezra might have seen in the Standish estate and what deep fears they might have caused.

"Ezra, you're in Denver now. He can't reach you here, no matter how well-connected he is."

"Yes, I know. I guess it was just an automatic falling back into old habits on my part. And I present my sincere apologies if my lapse of judgment has caused you any discomfort, Mr. Jackson."

"Accepted, Ezra, and it's okay. But I'm afraid you might have earned yourself some trouble with that regardless of me, so watch it next time."

Ezra shrugged, and something in his demeanor suddenly made Nathan question his previous conclusion. He didn't doubt that Ezra had told the truth, but maybe there was more to it than just a bad habit from the past, or old childhood fears; surely, Ezra must have more control than that…

"Hey, Ez," Nathan asked quietly. "You sure it was your career you were protecting and not something else? Or someone?"

The momentary expression of shock on Ezra's face told Nathan he might be on the right path; but at that very moment a new bunch of cars arrived at the club entrance, and they had to return to work. Later Nathan decided not to push it. After all, Standish had given him an explanation, and a truthful one, even if not in full, while he hadn't really expected any. If there were more family secrets buried there – it was Ezra's call to keep them or share.

The toasty June sun was already up when Ezra finally returned home, after the club had emptied and he and Nathan had dropped all pictures in the office labs. Ezra poured himself a generous shot of bourbon and sat at his desk; he was still shaken from the night's conversation. His teammates continued to surprise him. He'd already suspected that Vin possessed some sort of a telepathy (must be his Indian heritage) and Mr. Sanchez…well, Mr. Sanchez was one of the best professional profilers out there, and now Nathan had hit too close to home for Ezra's comfort. Damn, the medic was much more perceptive than Ezra had given him credit for.

"Or maybe," Standish opened an upper desk drawer and smiled sadly at its contents, "maybe I'm just losing my touch."

Inside the drawer, a picture lay, face up. A family was portrayed on it – a white woman, a black man and a little girl, about 8 years old. A girl who had inherited skin color from her father, and deep green eyes from her mother.

_To be continued…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Sorry for the delay – RL gets in the way sometimes:)._

**3.**

Three weeks after the visit of Atlanta's FBI Agent, Team 7 had successfully finished their case, and the atmosphere in the office had, albeit slowly, returned to normal.

Early Thursday evening Ezra was sitting at home, reading a book and enjoying the peace and quiet, when his phone rang.

"Standish."

"Ezra, it's Joseph," it was obvious from the man's voice that something was wrong.

"Joseph? What happened?"

"Judith had an accident. She is alive and out of danger, but…"

Judith, the woman from the photograph hidden in Ezra's desk, was his cousin, the eldest daughter of Mr. Jeremy Standish. His older cousin, almost sister really, was the only Standish Ezra actually loved; not counting his mother, who married into the family, and who he loved...usually. Joseph Sanders, the black man from the photograph, was Judith's husband. He continued talking on the phone while Ezra tried to comprehend what had happened. Judith had been in a car accident; her injuries, while not life-threatening, were very serious, and there was a possibility she wouldn't walk again. A crucial operation would be performed in a week or two, after which it would be clear if the damage was permanent. Oh Lord.

"Ezra," Joseph said after a brief pause. "We need your help."

"Name it."

"Could you look after Emily for a couple of weeks? I mean, if we send her to Colorado."

Emily was the girl from the photo, the couple's daughter and Ezra's goddaughter; she was a couple of months shy of her 9th birthday.

"You sure that's a good idea? I could fly to New York…"

"She's wanted to visit you since you moved to Denver, and we think it's better for Em not to be here, at least until after the operation. I'm just afraid I might snap at her or something, and Judith…right now she is not a sight for a little girl to see." Ezra heard Joseph swallowing, but before he could say something, the man continued: "Could you do it?"

"Yes." He wasn't in the middle of an undercover assignment right now, and the rest was solvable. "If you're okay with the distance..."

"Ezra, you know Judith. She prefers Emily to be with you, even if it's half-way across the country, than to leave her with some babysitter on the next street. And I'll second her in that."

"All right, when should I expect her?"

"On Sunday, I think. I'll arrange the papers and tickets tomorrow, and Ez? Try not to get into trouble over this, Judith will kill me if… "

"Don't worry about it, Joe. We're between cases at the moment, so it's no problem. You focus on getting my sister back on her feet, okay? I'll take care of the little princess."

"Ezra… Thanks."

"That's what family is for. Tell Judith…" Ezra stumbled. "Well, if you need anything else…"

"I know, Ezra. You just remember it works both ways, okay? I'll call tomorrow, let you know the details as soon as I arrange everything."

They exchanged a couple of more words and hung up; Ezra then went to his desk, took the picture out of the drawer, put in on top of the desk and stared at it. The thought of Judith, energetic, graceful Judith, lying hurt in a hospital, facing the prospect of life in an invalid chair, made his heart bleed. He wanted nothing more than to be there for her – like she had been there for him, when he'd managed to earn himself pneumonia at ten, and to the astonishment of everyone, a popular teenage girl had chosen babysitting a sick cousin over having fun with her friends and admirers - but if Judith wanted him to look after little Emily he would do it, and he would leave to Joe the supporting of Judith herself. Joe would cope; he was the most caring husband Ezra had ever seen.

Ezra took a deep breath, suppressing the building worry using willpower; he needed to focus on Emily, the kid would need support and reassurance. And there were a lot of things he needed to take care of now, to make her stay here as pleasant as was possible under the circumstances and, above all, safe.

Of course, Ezra had more than enough vacation time accumulated to just disappear from everyone's eyes, but he didn't like that idea much. And if tomorrow he just walked into Chris's office, requesting a long leave without any explanations, it might not bode well. Especially with his number of official and unofficial reprimands. Of course, family came first, but maybe this time he didn't have to choose. Maybe, just maybe, this time he could take a gamble and ask for help. Or at least for some advice.

It was a foreign thought, really; he'd never told anyone about J&J and Emily before, but maybe it was time he let somebody in on his biggest secret. There was a person, one who knew enough of the South to understand all the nuances of the situation, both now and 10 years ago; and, who knows, maybe he would even be willing to listen. After all, Nathan Jackson had half-guessed the truth and surprised him once already…

**4. **

Nathan had just opened the front door of his car, when his cell started ringing. Caller ID said it was Standish; surprised, Nathan hit the answer button: "Yeah?"

"Good evening, Mr. Jackson. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"Nope, was just heading home from Mercy General. Rain has to work the night shift today.."

"In that case could you please come over? There is a matter I would like to discuss with you."

"Sure, not a problem. You okay?" Ezra didn't sound hurt or sick, but, hell, it was Ezra, he never really sounded like anything was wrong.

"I assure you, Mr. Jackson, I am in perfect health. But I'm in need of your advice on a personal matter."

"Okay, I'll be there in a half hour or so."

It took Nathan twenty minutes to arrive at Ezra's condo, curiosity making him drive faster than usual. It was strange for Ezra to invite someone for an impromptu visit; and, if it wasn't medically related, then Nathan couldn't imagine a single personal situation where Ezra might need his advice.

"Well, guess I'll know soon enough," Nathan said to himself as he left the car and went to ring the doorbell.

Ezra opened immediately: "Thank you for coming, Mr. Jackson." He invited Nathan in and, after inquiring if he was hungry and receiving a negative answer, led him to the living room. Tea had already been served on a small coffee table in front of the couch; Ezra had always been a perfect host, if he did invite over guests, that is.

Ezra was in no hurry to bring the matter up, whatever it was. Nathan couldn't say if it was because of good manners, or a lack of resolution. Though Ezra didn't look nervous, more likely pensive or lost. Anyway, after he'd finished his cup of tea Nathan decided to hurry things along.

"So, Ezra, what did you want to discuss?"

Ezra sighed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson, I just don't know where to begin."

"Try the beginning, Ez, that usually works."

"Well, maybe…Nathan, do you remember the conversation we had at the stakeout some time ago, a conversation concerning my Uncle?"

"Yes," Nathan answered, even more intrigued.

"You suspected then that I wasn't being completely honest; you were right." Ezra reached his hand over and took a down-turned picture frame from an armrest of the couch and handed it to Nathan. Nathan took it and found himself gazing at a white woman, a black man, and what he assumed to be their daughter. He looked more closely…and pieces began falling into place. The family resemblance was clear; and he knew Ezra had no siblings, so…

"Your cousin?" he asked.

Ezra nodded. "Judith Amelia Standish, the pride and beauty of the family, and a much favored fair southern belle with plenty of appropriate rich, white suitors."

Nathan looked at the picture once more and laid it on the table. "She must be a very brave woman."

Ezra chortled. "I'd rather say stubborn and reckless."

"Might be a family trait," Nathan deadpanned.

They both chuckled, but quickly grew serious again.

"So, what's the story?"

Ezra shrugged. "They met, fell in love, ran away to New York and got married. Uncle Jeremy," Nathan had never heard such venom in Ezra's voice, "believes they are dead, and we try to keep it that way."

"We?"

"Judith, Joseph," Ezra pointed at the man on the picture, "and myself. I'm the only one in the family who knows where they are. Judith's mother passed away before this, Maude doesn't care, and the rest…well, they happen to share Uncle Jeremy's beliefs."

Uncle Jeremy's beliefs… What had Ezra said about them back at the stakeout? 'Certain opinions about family honor'? As a boy back in small town in the South, Nathan once had witnessed what had happened when an affair was discovered between a white girl and a black guy, and she'd been just an drugstore owner's daughter. What might have happened, if a daughter of a rich and powerful man like Jeremy Standish was involved…Nathan shuddered. If Ezra had been covering the couple and their girl… Then no wonder he'd protected his true self from his Uncle more carefully then he protected his identity from the criminals! No wonder he'd overdone it when that jerk of Atlanta had come… No wonder he was stumbling for words now, he most likely had never told anyone before. Something must have given him a reason to open up now, but, no matter what it was, Nathan still felt honored that Ezra had told him, that he had trusted him with this. And if Standish needed any help in whatever was going on…

"Ezra," Nathan asked quietly. "Did something happen?"

"Yes." Ezra turned to the window, looked there for a while, gathering himself, then turned back and started talking, a bit faster than usual. "Judith had a car accident on Tuesday, she is out of danger, but it is serious and there will be an operation soon. She is in the hospital, and Joseph has to be with her, so they will be sending Emily here for awhile."

Ezra paused; Emily must be the kid, and Ezra, it seemed, wanted to focus on her and not to dwell on his cousin's condition.

"They don't have anyone else," Ezra added, looking down, as if it was a justification.

Well, Nathan, for once, didn't need any extra arguments that Ezra was a good candidate for temporarily caring for Emily.

"Luckily, we don't have any big cases at the moment; I think Chris would easily give you at least a week off. And then we'll figure something else out if needed."

"Yes, I know, but even though the probability of another visitor from Atlanta is very slim, you know how the office grapevine works, and Denver isn't that big a city…" Ezra looked up. "You think I'm being paranoid?"

"Yes. But I also think you have damn good reasons for being so here. We need to think of something…" They kept silent for a couple of minutes, and then Nathan came up with an idea: "Ezra, you know, Rain has an amazing number of nieces, cousins and other relatives. I don't remember half of them, and I'm sure she herself gets confused sometimes. So…"

It took several moments for the idea to dawn upon Ezra, and then his face changed into that funny expression which always appeared when Standish met an act of kindness directed towards him. "You sure Miss Eban wouldn't mind?"

"Rain is a pediatrician, and we are speaking about the safety of a child here. Of course she won't mind. You'll have to tell the truth to Chris and the guys, though, at least part of it."

"Do you believe they'll understand?"

Nathan shrugged. "They possibly haven't met with 'southern traditions', like we have, but they do understand about protecting one's family. And that sometimes you need to protect them from someone wearing the same name."

Ezra looked down again, thinking; Nathan reached over and touched his shoulder briefly. "Everything will be okay, Ez. Your cousin will recover, and while she is doing that, we'll keep the little one here safe and sound. We'll back you up in this, Ezra, all of us. No one will harm little Emily here, and no one will trace Judith and Joseph. Everything will be okay."

A quiet moment passed, and then Ezra met Nathan's gaze, his eyes unnaturally bright. "Nathan…Thank you."

"That's what friends are for, Ezra, that's what friends are for."

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

**5.**

Working hours on Friday morning began with Ezra going into Chris's office without being summoned; an occurrence rare enough to cause an exchange of surprised glances. The surprise grew further, when a couple of hours later Chris called a meeting and told them work plans needed some altering, because Ezra would have the next week off. And then surprise nearly turned into shock, when, being asked for explanations, Standish actually got up and gave them.

As Nathan had expected, Ezra didn't tell the team the whole story, only the necessary facts. He said that his cousin, a fashion journalist from New York, was hurt, and that he would be looking after her daughter, Emily Sanders, for a while. And that there were people who didn't need to know the location of the Sanders family, so for everyone who asked, Ezra was just using his well-earned vacation to regroup after an undercover assignment. And if mentioning the girl became unavoidable, she was Rain's cousin from somewhere northwest. Ezra didn't mention Jeremy Standish or his connections with Atlanta's FBI or that the whole thing had something to do with Joseph Sanders being black; in fact, he didn't even say Judith was a Standish. All in all, he made it sound like an ordinary case of escaping domestic abuse or some enraged, rejected lover.

Since Nathan, of course, hadn't shared what he'd learned from Ezra the day before or three weeks ago, the rest of the team didn't have any apparent reason to connect the dots. Of course, there were questions, but Ezra simply stated he couldn't discuss the secrets of a lady, especially if she was his kin, and the guys backed off, after Nathan had confirmed Rain was okay with the charade. Though the team did make Ezra promise he would introduce them to the young lady. And by the look of it, Buck at least was counting on his charm to satisfy his curiosity once he got to talk with Emily herself.

Emily flew in on Sunday morning, and Nathan and Rain accompanied Ezra to the airport, 'the sake of the cover story' being the official excuse. And Nathan had to admit, Ezra with his arms full of eight-year-old girl sure was a sight to see. Of course, Nathan had seen Ezra with children before, but that was different. Standish clearly adored his niece – and the feeling was absolutely mutual.

Over the week, the rest of the members of Team 7 had joined Nathan in that conclusion, as every one of them had found an excuse to either drop by Ezra's house, or catch him and Emily in town, to observe the uncle-niece interactions.

**6. **

Saturday evening a week later, Vin Tanner sat in the main room of Chris's house and thought it had been one of the best Saturdays he'd ever had. Chris had invited all of his teammates, and Emily specially, to spend the weekend at the ranch; Ezra hadn't been all that eager to accept, but Chris, ever the strategist, had made the invitation in Emily's presence and, after he'd mentioned horses, Ezra had really had no choice. JD'd had some previous plans with Casey, but they both promised to show up on Sunday, and the rest of the guys had been there since Friday evening.

The day had been really good – horseback riding, a picnic, swimming (for once, using traditional swimming suits, for Emily's sake) and lots of outside games. Emily had proved that, despite having the manners of royalty and a taste in clothes which clearly indicated her relation to Ezra, there was a little tomboy hidden somewhere inside. She had fit right into the company of six grown men; though, as Chris had commented during the day, the title 'grown' might be a little premature in regards to at least half of the six, Vin included.

'_Just wait for tomorrow, cowboy_,' Vin thought, grinning inwardly. '_And see what happens when JD and Casey join the ruckus_.'

Right now, everyone had calmed down for the evening; Josiah and Nathan were playing chess in the corner, Chris was pretending to read a book (while in reality he watched Buck and Emily with great amusement), Buck, in his turn, was trying to prove Emily liked him better than Vin. Ezra, at the moment, was in Chris's office, speaking with Joseph and Judith over the phone; Emily had already talked with her parents earlier, and now Ezra was giving and receiving a full rundown, away from little ears.

Buck finally managed to say something that made Emily laugh out loud; Vin missed what exactly he'd said, but teased nevertheless:

"Watch it, Bucklin. Remember, Ezra has a pretty good left hook."

Before Buck could come up with a good comeback, Emily answered:

"Uncle Ezra is a gentleman, Mr. Vin. He wouldn't hit anyone right away, he would give a 'barn speech' first."

"Barn speech?" Buck asked, puzzled.

"Yes. It's from the story."

"Which one?" Vin asked seriously.

"My favorite bedtime story, the tale about a student from Chicago and a princess from Atlanta."

Oh. The girl might be speaking about a 'how-my-parents-met-and-got-married' type of story, and Vin was really curious about that. The things that Ezra had shared, and mostly the facts he hadn't, indicated that there was quite a story there. A story which might explain something about Ezra himself, too.

"Oh," Emily remembered. "You must not tell Uncle Ezra that! He thinks my favorite is the one about the Fairy and the Tiger, one of the stories he tells. It's a wonderful story, too, I just like the other one better, but I don't want to hurt his feelings."

"We won't tell him," Vin assured her, still deadly serious, while Buck tried not to laugh. "You know, I've never heard a story about a student and a princess before. Think you could tell it to us?"

Emily looked doubtful. "Grownups usually don't listen to stories."

"Well, sunshine," Buck smiled broadly, "we're not like usual grownups, we like stories. It's been a long time since I heard a good one, and that one with the 'barn speech' in it must be really interesting."

Emily pondered things a little, and then ventured. "Okay, but you shouldn't interrupt, stories don't like being interrupted."

She looked over the men, and received a nod from everyone; Chris even set aside his book.

"This is how Daddy tells it," Emily explained, then she took a deep breath, folded her hands on her lap and began the tale with all the airs of a professional story teller. She obviously had heard the story frequently, and had memorized it a long time ago.

"Once upon a time, not so very long ago, there existed a prosperous castle, near the fair city of Atlanta, in the land of Georgia. A mean king ruled in the castle, he was rich and powerful, and everyone in the area was afraid of him. He had several children; his oldest child was Princess Judith, she was very beautiful and kind. One day she went to Chicago, to attend a big ball, and she was the most beautiful girl there. There was one young student among the guests, and they fell in love with each other, and he decided to follow Princess Judith home to Atlanta. She warned him it was dangerous, because her father, the mean king, resented people like him, but he still followed, because he loved her and knew she loved him. They were seeing each other secretly, far away from the castle, and their love grew stronger every day. Then, a lucky break, the mean king and his family went to Atlanta, and only Princess Judith stayed. So, the student came to the castle, and they met in the barn. They had just begun talking, when they heard someone's footsteps…

…_They moved __away from each other quickly; there was no time or place to hide, so Joseph turned to the barn's entrance with apprehension, hoping it was one of the servants whose silence might be bought. But alas, the person who entered was a Standish. Not one of Judith's brothers, a visiting cousin, Ezra or something. Judith liked him for some reason and said he was different, but from what Joseph had seen and heard, he was just as arrogant and self-centered as all the rest of them. And why the hell didn't that brat go into the city with everyone else? _

"_Oh, how interesting," the teen drawled with heavy sarcasm. "Tell me, dear cousin, is it serious, or are you just looking for an adrenaline rush, doing something totally against your respectable father's beliefs?" _

"_Why do you care?" Judith snapped. _

"_Because, if you are doing this for an adventure or to defy your father, then there are dozens of better ways to do that. Ones that involve monetary gain, and don't involve a potential lynching." With that, he finally looked straight at Joseph, and the latter got the feeling that the teen wouldn't rat them out. _

"_And if we are serious?" Joseph asked. _

"_Then, my dear sir, you should be carefully planning your future, not hiding in a barn like some lovesick teenagers!" That was coming from a teen himself, and Judith chuckled, but Joseph said earnestly: _

"_We are serious." _

"_Then, sir, maybe you could start with introducing yourself, and then tell me how you are going to provide for my sister, if she becomes your wife." _

…Then the student showed Uncle Ezra his diploma, and, when Uncle Ezra decided it was enough, the three of them planned an escape, and soon the princess and the student ran away to New York. But Uncle Ezra stayed, and he covered their trail and set up the false trail for the mean king, and the king believed him and didn't follow the princess and her beloved. So Princess Judith and Student Joseph arrived in New York safely, where they got married and lived happily ever after."

Emily finished the story to the stunned silence of her audience. She sipped from a glass of juice, that had rested on an armrest of her chair, and added, in her normal manner:

"I'm so glad Uncle Ezra left Atlanta," and, before anyone could ask anything or comment, she elaborated: "The mean king has friends in Atlanta, and Uncle Ezra had to pretend he was mean, too, when he lived there, or the king would have guessed Uncle Ezra had conned him. And because of that we couldn't visit him in Atlanta, but we can here, or Mom and Daddy wouldn't have sent me. I'm really glad he moved to Denver."

"Us too, angel, us too," Buck answered quietly.

Vin felt like maybe he should break the spell, before Ezra came back to the room and suspected Emily had told something she probably shouldn't have. So he mustered a grin and said: "Told you to watch it, Bucklin. Reckon the 'barn speech' is more trouble than a simple left hook."

Buck flushed, and then everyone laughed; not that the joke was that good, but they needed to ease the tension Emily's story had created. The laughter, however, was more than timely – seeing as Ezra chose that moment to finally return.

"I guess everything is all right, young lady?" he asked, coming close to Emily's chair.

"Yes, Uncle Ezra. I told a story to Mr. Buck and Mr. Vin."

"Oh. I hope you didn't bore them too much?"

"Nah," Vin drawled. "Was an interesting tale."

Buck nodded, and Ezra smiled.

"Well, I'm glad of that. Now, my dear, how about your own bedtime story?"

"Uncle Ezra…" Emily didn't actually whine, but her pleading look was almost irresistible. Though Ezra must have grown immune to it.

"Now, Emily, you don't want to be sleepy tomorrow, do you? Remember, you promised to show Mr. Dunne and Miss Wells the game of Squares?"

The girl sighed heavily (the men around her had to suppress chuckles), nodded, agreeing, and jumped from her chair.

"Good night, gentlemen," she dropped a curtsy in the direction of Vin, Chris and Buck, and then another one to Nathan and Josiah.

"Good night, Emily," they answered, mostly simultaneously. Ezra nodded, indicating he'd return once Emily was asleep, and took Emily upstairs.

The silence in the room lasted until the men heard him shutting the door to a bedroom, and then Josiah hit the armrest of the chair he'd been sitting in.

"Damn", he muttered. He knew firsthand what harm a despotic and fanatic father could do to a child. Judith Standish must be a woman of strong character to defy hers; and she had been damn lucky Ezra'd been on her side when it had mattered.

"Hell," Chris said musingly, "no wonder he is so damn good at what he does. If he organized something like this at… How old was he, sixteen?"

"No more than twenty," Vin supplied. "Emily is almost nine."

"Yeah," Buck ran a hand through his hair. "That sure explains a lot. If he had to keep up the charade all the time he worked in Atlanta…"

"He had to," Nathan said quietly. There was no point in hiding anything now; on the contrary, all the unnecessary speculations should be stopped. "Jeremy Standish, Judith's father, is a friend of the FBI's AD in Atlanta."

"Shit," Vin and Chris hissed together, and then Chris asked:

"Is he still looking for them?" There was a dangerous note in his voice now, a note that didn't promise anything good for Jeremy Standish.

"No," Nathan shook his head, "he believes they are dead. And one good thing about people like that, they prefer to keep 'the family's shame' a secret, nobody in the FBI knows about it. But…"

"Ezra still had to be real careful," Vin finished the thought, and Nathan nodded.

"So you knew?" Buck glared at Nathan somewhat accusingly. "For how long?"

"Not everything and not for long, Buck. He told me about his Uncle and the FBI while we were watching that club during the last case, made it sound like he'd kept the charade to protect his own hide. He told me about Judith and Joseph only after the accident, the day before he told you all. But I didn't know he had practically organized their elopement."

'_Though I probably shouldn't be surprised by it_,' Nathan added to himself. Joseph Sanders must have been awfully impressed by 'the barn speech' to turn it into a bedtime story for his daughter. But Nathan understood fully, he, too, would have been more than impressed were he in that position. To have a character like Ezra walk in on you and his cousin – and then to realize suddenly that he was on your side…Nathan sighed. He couldn't honestly say, if he, in his teens, had realized his sister was involved with a white man, that his own reaction would have been so open-minded and realistic at the same time.

"Hey, Nate," Buck called, interrupting his musings. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"For not allowing me to make an ass of myself over that crap with Atlanta's agent."

"Anytime, Bucklin, anytime."

Silence once again grew, and soon they heard Ezra's footsteps on the stairs.

"That was fast," Chris commented.

Ezra shrugged. "Outdoor activity is very good for children, in more ways than one." He went to stand in front of the fireplace. "Again, gentlemen, thank you very much for your efforts this week."

"The pleasure was completely ours, brother," Josiah said softly.

Ezra nodded, and then slid a bottle of brandy and a glass out from hiding behind picture frames which were sitting on the fireplace, he'd brought it as his contribution to the weekend, and they hadn't quite finish it on Friday evening. Standish poured himself a generous shot, and gulped it at once, looking at the ashes inside the fireplace.

"So what the news?" Chris asked somberly.

Ezra emptied the bottle into his drink, and, with the glass in hand, turned to face his teammates. And realized suddenly, that they really cared and were worried. Maybe not for Judith herself, after all, they'd never met her, but for Emily and for him. And the strangest thing of it all, was that it felt natural.

"The operation is scheduled for Wednesday. The general prognosis is good, but… they don't promise anything." He polished off the brandy, put back the glass and added in a deliberately lighter tone: "Well, it seems that outdoor activity is tiresome not only for young ones, I believe I'll turn in myself. Good night, gentlemen."

Various "Night, Ezra"'s followed him, but Chris stood abruptly and in two long strides reached Ezra at the bottom of stairs. He laid a hand on his shoulder and, when Ezra met his eyes, said quietly:

"It'll be okay, Ezra. Judith is a strong and determined person, and her husband is no weakling either. They'll pull through it. And if their strength isn't enough – they and Emily have you, and you have us. You are not alone in this anymore, Ez."

A moment later, Ezra whispered: "I know, Chris." And even if he'd surprised himself by saying so, he really meant it. "I know. Thank you."

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 4

**7.**

On Monday, Ezra had to return to work, but between the team, Rain, Nettie and Casey, there was no need to involve a stranger in looking after Emily. Of course, Ezra didn't want to 'bother Miss Rain on her more than deserved days of rest', but Rain stated that spending some time with a child who was healthy, both physically and emotionally, was the best rest for her.

On Wednesday, everyone in the office was on pins and needles. The operation was scheduled for 11 a.m. New York time; and since Ezra had gotten the message that the operation had started, the loudest sound in the bullpen had been typing. Lunch was delivered to the office, though Ezra didn't touch it; the fact that he actually managed to get some work done, really amazed Chris.

Finally, around 3 p.m. Ezra's cell rang, and he hurried into the break room. The moment he shut the door every activity in the office stopped; Chris, having heard the ringing, came out and sat on Vin's desk. Everyone stared at the door waiting for news.

Ezra emerged twenty minutes later and, for once, his expression was telling; the smiles began appearing even before Ezra opened his mouth.

"The operation was successful. Judith will recover fully."

"Woo-hoo!" JD whooped, and lots of back-slapping followed.

"Okay, guys, back to work," Chris said after a couple of moments, but it didn't have the desired effect. Chris sighed and added, slightly louder and in a firmer tone: "Tanner, call 'Pti France' and order a table for nine for 6 p.m. Nate, Ezra, call Rain and tell her to bring Emily there to meet us."

'Pti France' was a café with the best desserts in town; a place Vin and JD adored openly, and the rest of the team secretly.

"And," Chris continued after the calls had been made "anyone who wants their dessert better get something done."

"Yes, Pa," Vin smirked, but actually started typing something. The rest followed his example.

**8. **

A week after the operation, and Judith had recovered enough to want her little girl by her side. Ezra, naturally, wanted to accompany Emily on her flight, but he had to be present in court for next couple of days, so his own ticket was for Saturday. He had to see for himself that Judith was doing well after all.

On Monday evening, the Team organized a farewell party in Ezra's apartment; and Ezra almost wasn't surprised by it. It was obvious, by that point, that not only Nathan and Rain, but every other member of his team, plus both Miss' Wells, were ready to name Emily their cousin and actually mean it. The party went well; Emily, blossoming under everyone's attention and entertaining her guests, felt like her birthday had come early.

"It's so cool to have a big family, Uncle Ezra," she said in the evening, after the party was over, and Ezra was putting her to bed. "I didn't know that before."

"There is no need to pick up your vocabulary from Mr. Dunne, my dear. But you are right, a big family has its advantages." _'And I didn't know that before either…'_

The next morning, Nathan and Ezra drove Emily to the airport; Nathan was behind the wheel, stating he would never let Ezra drive at that 'ungodly hour' if it was avoidable.

"Goodbye, Mr. Nathan," Emily said seriously, tilting back her head to look the tall black man in the eyes. "It was a pleasure to meet you."

"For me too, Miss Emily."

"If you and Miss Rain ever come to New York, I will show you the best hiding places in Central Park."

"That's a most generous offer, Emily," Nathan answered, keeping his face straight with great effort. "I'll remember it."

With that, Nathan leaned forward and hugged the child; Emily returned the hug and whispered loudly: "But I hope Mom will be well enough in November so that we can come here for Thanksgiving instead."

Ezra groaned inwardly at that, he had yet to know which one of his well-meaning teammates had planted that crazy idea in Emily's head.

"We'll be waiting," Nathan assured the girl, letting her go, and seconds later Ezra was lifting her up.

"Well, young lady, it seems Colorado is good for you, you most certainly have grown more than I thought was possible in two weeks!"

Emily laughed out loud, hugging Ezra's neck tightly. "I love you, Uncle Ezra."

"Love you too, angel," Ezra whispered, putting her down. "See you this weekend," they both said simultaneously, then laughed.

The intercom announced Emily's flight was now boarding; the girl sighed, then smiled broadly, and, grabbing her carry on, a small wheeled backpack filled mostly with presents, went carefully to the gate.

Nathan watched the girl walking away, and thought it would be great if the Sanders came for Thanksgiving. He knew he would be missing Emily, and he really would like to meet her parents.

Emily stopped, half-turned back and waved; Ezra and Nathan dutifully waved back, and Nathan's thoughts drifted to the last two weeks, to the way Rain had been around Emily. He hadn't been blind; he'd seen the signs. The signs that clearly said Rain wanted to start a family of her own, to nurse her own children. She had been ready for some time, it was Nathan who hadn't been. And if he was honest with himself, it was because he'd been afraid. He'd seen too many shattered families, too many marriages that didn't work out – and they both had jobs that were less than forgiving and more than demanding.

But now, watching Emily and thinking about her parents, Nathan felt ashamed of his fear. Judith and Joseph had been alone against the whole world – and yet they had taken a chance. They'd started from scratch in a strange and crazy city, their only family being a younger cousin far away; and even he had to keep his distance, in order to protect them. And they had succeeded. Their marriage had survived and even flourished, they'd been raising a wonderful daughter, and, as far as Nathan could tell, their love was still there, strong and steady. If they could manage it, then…

Both Nathan and Rain's blood families were scattered all over the country, but that didn't matter. They had another family, a family by choice, here, in Denver. A family that could offer the best support system in the world.

Emily waved one last time as she disappeared from view, and as he waved back, Nathan found himself smiling. This weekend both he and Rain would be free; they hadn't made any plans yet, but he was beginning to form some ideas. The kind of ideas that included a visit to a jeweler's.

Ezra watched Emily leaving, already missing her and counting the days until the weekend. Suddenly the idea of the Sanders spending Thanksgiving in Colorado didn't seem so crazy. Uninvited images started to invade his mind – images of a big Thanksgiving dinner at his apartment, followed by visions of decorating Christmas trees and making snowmen in Chris's backyard. Judith would definitely like the guys, and Joseph would have to admit that Ezra wasn't the only 'reckless idealistic maverick' among Federal Agents.

And then much crazier thoughts started appearing… Joseph had mentioned recently that his company was going to open a new branch in Colorado; and the mountain air was certainly better for a growing child and recovering woman than what passed for oxygen in New York; and 'The Clarion' could definitely use a fashion section.

Those were wild dreams, but for once Ezra allowed himself to have them. For once, the nagging fear, which had been his constant companion since he'd been eighteen and had entered that barn fully knowing what he would see, for once, that fear wasn't there. And Ezra knew why. He wasn't all that stood between the other Standishes and the Sanders anymore; all of his teammates stood there with him now. And Team 7 was a force people more powerful than Jeremy Standish had had to reckon with, and the Team always came out on top.

Ezra was sure the rest of the team already knew the real story behind his connection to the Sanders family. He didn't think that Nathan had betrayed his confidence, but the guys were sharp enough to figure out the truth, based on his silence and Emily's chatter. He himself had told her to trust the team; it was enough that they had had to watch themselves around other people. Though Emily had liked 'playing spy' and had handled herself just fine during accidental meetings, which had occurred a few times, in fact, she'd done better than some FBI's partners Ezra had had undercover.

Much to his own surprise, Ezra didn't mind the guys knowing the truth – he just didn't want to tell it himself. Telling everything to Nathan had been hard enough despite his understanding, Ezra didn't wish to repeat the experience. And he was eternally grateful to his friends that they didn't ask him any questions. They had just let him know, each one of them, through words, looks and gestures, that they were there for him. For him, for Emily, even for Judith and Joseph if need be.

He'd known since the first case in Denver that Team 7 was much more than just a unit of law officers. But the past two weeks, and yesterday's party, had brought another revelation. It seems that, with the help of their womenfolk, from little Emily to venerable Nettie Wells, their brotherhood-in-arms had managed to turn into a real family. One that the Sanders family was now a part of, even if J&J didn't know it yet.

"Ezra," Nathan called softly, when Emily's flight disappeared from the indicator board. "It's time to go, we should be in the office by ten."

Ezra gave his head a shake, coming back to reality. "You are right, Mr. Jackson, it would be impolite to keep the DA waiting."

"Yeah, and we sort of promised a certain young lady that we wouldn't let the bad guys get away."

"Absolutely," Ezra deadpanned, and a second later they were both laughing as they headed to the parking lot.

Up in the sky, the 'fasten your seat belts' signal was turned off in a New York bound plane. Emily Patricia Sanders made sure that her neighbor was sound asleep before she pulled her backpack out from under the seat and extracted one of the presents she'd received yesterday. It was a framed picture, taken by Miss Casey at the ranch on Sunday a week ago; Uncle Ezra was sitting on the front porch, surrounded by his six friends, with Emily on his lap.

Emily had always known her Uncle Ezra was the best, but sometimes she'd envied Chen-Chen, her friend and classmate; the Chinese girl had four Uncles! But now, Emily thought, tracing the figures in the picture, now there was no reason to envy anyone. She had seven great Uncles – and seven was the best lucky number ever.

**The End **


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